


Team Up To Survive

by boredomsMuse



Series: October Prompts [14]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References Experiment, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:35:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27037282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boredomsMuse/pseuds/boredomsMuse
Summary: Willow has manage to bring Jasper home, but of course things aren't so simple.  Technically in the body of an alternate universe version of himself,  Jasper needs to re-tie himself to his universe.  Unfortunately this requires re-visiting the past, and people, he'd like to forget.
Series: October Prompts [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951741
Kudos: 6





	Team Up To Survive

**Author's Note:**

> Day 14: **Team-up to Survive** /Secret Relationship  
> I give up trying to give all of these titles. This is set in the same universe as Day 12.
> 
> Here is my [link of links](https://linktr.ee/kailsmusings)

Not for the first time, Jasper wishes he’d just stayed dead. 

Technically, he wasn’t  _ dead _ dead. At least not dead enough for this to count for the ‘Got Better’ tally they have at The Base. It was more like he was… possessing an alternate version of himself. In a world without superpowers,or ‘end of the world’ level threats, or evil corporations run by his father.

And yet, somehow things were still just as shitty.

Arguably more shitty, actually. Since Jasper was just some normal kid that couldn’t  _ do _ anything.

Still, if Willow had left well enough alone he wouldn’t have almost died trying to save Jasper. And if Jasper had stayed in that other universe, he wouldn’t be stuck in a shrinking box with  _ Maxwell _ .

“Are you going to help at some point!” Jasper grunts, trying his best to push against the slowly shrinking walls. It isn’t working, Jasper knows it isn’t working. At least it’s  _ something _ . Maxwell, trying to look proud despite being curled up as tight as he can, is just glaring.

“It’s clearly some kind of trap.” He scoffs.

“ _ Of course it’s a trap _ !” Jasper snaps back. “We’re in a shrinking box! While trying to break into an evil lab!”

“Well obviously  _ this _ is a trap.” Maxwell agrees. “But clearly helping you is also a trap.”

“How does even work?!” Jasper groans before yelping as the box shrinks further. “Damnit Maxwell, you need to teleport us out of here!”

“If I could teleport out of here, I would teleport myself out.” Maxwell claims, crossing his arms tighter across his chest. Although Jasper can barely see his arms, what with the way his knees are forcibly pressed up against his chest.

“If you use my power, you’d be strong enough to teleport us out.” Jasper argues. His powers have been spuraitic at best since he returned, unsettled while he tries to cement his return to the universe, but sharing energy is the easiest thing he can do. At least when the other party is also demon infused. And not a paranoid jerk.

Argh! Why did the lab have to be the place to cement his place? Why couldn’t it be somewhere less likely to kill him?

“Like I’m going to trust you.” Maxwell scoffs again, trying to turn his head but barely having the room. Jasper wants to scream.

“Either you trust me for two seconds, or we both get squashed to death!” He shouts.

“Trusting a Quint for two seconds is how I got into this mess in the first place!” Maxwell snaps.

“Actually,” Jasper says, because he’s snarky and Maxwell is pissing him off, “you got into this mess because you  _ didn’t _ trust a Quint. Not that I’m even technically a Quint anymore, if you care about legality.”

“Once a Quint, always a Quint.” Maxwell says, like he has a thousand times. Jasper can feel the scream in his chest and wonders if he could get away with it, if his powers are so unsettled that screaming won’t kill Maxwell. (For a moment he considers not caring if they would, but he dismisses the throat just as quickly. Maxwell doesn’t deserve to die just for upsetting him).

“What do you think that even means?” Jasper manages, through clenched teeth. “Like, do you seriously think that means I got special treatment? That he  _ cared _ about me?”

“Of course he  _ cared _ about you. He didn’t hurt you, just everyone else.” Maxwell claims.

“Tell that to the scars on my neck!” Jasper shouts. 

“What scars?” Maxwell huffs, rolling his eyes. This time, when Jasper groans, there’s magic under it. His form flickers between the alternate self he’s taken, the self he destroyed killing the Consumer, and the self he wished away years ago. Because of course,  _ of course _ his magic would work for this and not for getting him  _ out of a death box _ .

“Your illusions don’t fool me!” Maxwell declares.

“Oh my god!” Jasper forces himself to take a deep breath, trying again when the box shrinks further. “Maxwell, I swear, if we don’t do this together we are  _ going to die _ .”

“Dying is better than being caught by a Quint!” Maxwell shouts.

“I agree!” Jasper shouts back. “Why don’t you get that? My father has never cared about me. He locked me up and cut me open, same as he does everyone else. I mean, come on, he sent my brother to  _ kill me _ . You don’t have to like me Maxwell, you aren’t the first or the last. But can you  _ please _ just teleport us out of here so we don’t get squashed to death by Camilla’s ghost!”

“Camilla?” Maxwell repeats the name, expression still sour but tone softer. “How do you know that name?”

“What part of ‘locked up’ did you not understand?” Jasper groans. Maxwell doesn’t respond, frowning deepening. The box gets small enough to press them together, small enough to make breathing hard. “Maxwell!” Jasper shouts.

“Okay!” He shouts back. “Okay, do it.” They manage to find each other's hands and lock fingers. Shutting his eyes, Jasper imagines his power pouring into Maxwell. The box gets smaller then, with a pop, they’re out.

“Thank you!” Jasper manages, pushing away from Maxwell as he desperately tries to gasp in air. 

“Whoa.” Maxwell says quietly, staring at his hands. “You’ve… you’ve got a lot of power.”

“Yes, I am aware.” Jasper manages. Finally catching his breath, he looks up and feels all the anger and annoyance evaporate. “This place looks exactly the same.” He sighs.

“Why are you even here?” Maxwell asks, his own voice lacking anger in the face of the lab.

“I told you.” Jasper says, forcing himself to step further into the building. “I’m stabilizing the universe. Preferably before my brother wakes up and realizes I left. I’d rather he didn’t see this.” He doesn’t expect Maxwell to believe him really, but he does hope it’s enough to make Maxwell leave.

Instead, the taller man jogs to catch up.

“I’m coming with you.  _ Not _ because I trust you. This way, if you’re secretly trying to restart the lab I can stop you. And if… if you’re not, well I can help if there are any other ghosts in the building.” He claims. Even suggesting that Jasper  _ isn’t _ doing evil is more than Maxwell’s ever allowed. 

“Well,” Jasper sighs, “there are definitely more ghosts in the building.”


End file.
